FROM ROMAN TO KNIGHT The European Migrations

Transcription

1 GEIR FELLING ANDERSEN FROM ROMAN TO KNIGHT The European Migrations AD PregoMobile

2 Like THE SLEEPING FAUN in the Munich Glypthotek one can say the Romans lived in a dream world. FROM ROMAN TO KNIGHT PROLOGUE 6 THE ROMAN EMPIRE 9 MAP OF GERMAN TRIBES (300) 13 MAP I (EUROPE 395) 21 THE GOTHS 23 THE HUNS 29 THE 1st GOTHIC WAR ( ) 35 ALARIC THE VISIGOTHS TAKE ROME 37 MAP II (EUROPE 410) 43 THE VANDALS 48 ON THE BRITISH ISLES 54 BURGUNDY A FOLK MIGRATION KINGDOM 57 «THE SCOURGE OF GOD» AND THE CATALAUNIAN PLAINS 61 MAP III (EUROPE 453) & ASSIGNMENT OF COLOURS 66 ODOVACER THE FALL OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE 77 MAP IV (EUROPE 488) 81 OSTROGOTHS AND FRANKS NEW LORDS 83 THE EAST ROMANS STRIKE BACK (THE 2nd GOTHIC WAR) 87 MAP V (EUROPE 526) 89 THE LOMBARDS 97 MAP VI (EUROPE 585) 99 CIVIDALE 102 THE «LEGEND OF MEROVINGIAN» 105 MAP VII (EUROPE 650) 109 AFTERMATH: SLAVS, ARABS AND CHARLEMAGNE 111 MAP VIII (EUROPE 732) 115 MAP VERDUN (843) 118 HISTORICAL NAMES 119 YEAR AND HAPPENINGS 124 PEOPLE AND MIGRATION CENTRES 126

3 PROLOGUE More or less exactly 1600 years ago, on the night European (often called the Germanic) folk migration, Romans arrogance, their superior and sometimes after 35 years, updated, verified and presented to before August 24th 410 AD, the barbaric lord, king and it took place between A.D. This was racist attitudes mirrored their indifference to what my daughter and her fellow students in 7th grade Alaric, and his Visigoths had arrived and encircled the epoch which ended Roman Power and led to the happened outside their city walls. As the «sleeping last year. Then the idea sprung to make a coffee the then centre of the world the eternal city the knights and crusades in the name of God. Because it faun» in their own mythology, one can say they lived table book, decorated with Susanne Grenness oil Emperor s Rome. For the first time in 800 years an was during the migration age that Christianity really in a dream world. The Romans did not wake up until it illustrations. On August 24th 410 Alaric put the first enemy knocked on the city s gates. The all powerful spread and got a strong hold on our continent. And was too late and the folk migration was underway. nail in the coffin of the Roman Empire. It is 1600 Rome was shaken to its core, and its coming fall and it was during these centuries that the basis for the «FROM ROMAN TO KNIGHT» is a chronological walk years ago this year, and here follows my contribution crumbling was soon to leave a complete new Europe. individual European nations cultural aspects like through a time unknown to many. Feel free to call to the anniversary. With this incident in 410 as a backdrop, the looting traditions, languages, myths and legends, appeared. it a teaching book for readers of all ages. The tale is and humiliation of Rome and the start of the Roman The 1800 s romantic nationalism often found inspired by Carl Grimberg s eminent presentation Empire s fall, «FROM ROMAN TO KNIGHT» has been inspiration in these times. of the same topic in part 7 of «Life and history of made. This book is meant to give a glimpse into early It was the Romans widespread use of Germanic Mankind». My journey started there and continued middle age, an often forgotten, yet important part (barbarian) mercenaries, along with a widespread with homemade lectures for fellow students in Geir Felling Andersen of Europe s history. «FROM ROMAN TO KNIGHT» apartheid directed towards the same protectors 5th. grade in primary school, triggered by a never- Names are written in capital letters on first is not about Rome or the Roman Empire, but of the that eventually became the start of the fall of the ending fascination for complex maps and names of appearance. These are listed in alphabetical order time that followed its fall. This was the time of the Roman Empire. It should not be left out that the mystical, «extinct» races. The lecture was retrieved under HISTORICAL NAMES, at the back of the book. 6 7

4 THE ROMAN EMPIRE In the year 180 A.D., at the peak of its power, THE ROMAN EMPIRE extended from the North Sea to the Middle East. All roads up and down the widespread empire led to the capital city, ROME. Around Rome lay Italy, or the Apennine Peninsula, which is what the «boot» has been called since the days of the ancient ETRUSCANS. This book will take a good look at Italy s fate and how the Romans, who had ruled here since the time of ROMULUS and REMUS around 750 B.C., were on the verge of losing the capital (and with it the centre of the empire) to the BARBARIANS 1000 years later. The Roman Empire was by far the antiquity s largest and most powerful empire. The story of Rome and the Empire s growth, expansion and cultural blossoming have been described in plenty since the born of Christ. The two thousand year old ROMAN ROAD, here beautifully presented by the Italian photographer Giancarlo Gasponi. 8 9

5 Wall against barbar. The remains are to be found all around the Mediterranean. THE GOTHS Nevertheless, there is one group of people I would like to pay particular attention to: a tribe from the far north of Europe who played a key role in the fate of Rome and Italy. It is the GOTHS. Gothenburg, the Isle of Gothland, geatish «GØTALAND». The Goths originated from these parts of Scandinavia and Sweden. It is believed that their kingdom originally extended as far as the eastern part of Norway. However, in the middle of the Bronze Age, great natural catastrophes sent these hard-nosed people southwards: across the Baltic Sea, into Poland and down to the province of DACIA, a province risky established by the Romans north of Danube

6 The Gothic chieftain BERIG is thought to have started the whole sequence of events with coastal raid and the establishment of GOTHISCANDZA (Scandza of the Goths) around the estuary of the WIZLA river (Vistula in Poland) as early as 1490 B.C. This was claimed by the Gothic history writer JORDANES in his work «GETICA» in the 500s A.D. Getica was, however, based on the Roman CASSIODORUS previous collections of Gothic histories and tales. Then by year 268 A.D., the Goths had arrived in such large numbers into Dacia (present day Romania) that the Romans were forced to give up the province. Moreover, the Romans had conquered the Dacians land with such cruelty 150 years earlier (in Emperor TRAJAN s Day, 106 A.D.) that nothing had been spared, neither human life nor buildings. Dacia was razed to the ground, the Romans moved in, and even to this day, the people there speak a Latin language, Romanian. The Goths are crossing the Danube on their way to the promised land

7 THE VANDALS After several years as Stilicho s foederati in the province of RHAETIA (Switzerland), the Vandals were among the who managed to cross a frozen Rhine on New years Eve

8 The Spanish area of Catalonia (with Barcelona) has its own language today (Catalan), and is named after the Visigoths, GOTHALANIA. There the Visigoths suppressed the VANDALS, who gave the name to Andalucía (VANDALUCIA) in the south. These brutal Vandals had not been as considerate in their treatment of the cultural cities as the Visigoths had. Their name is the origin of the word vandal or vandalism, which is used today to describe people who destroy something valuable almost for the sake of being destructive. The Vandals came from the black forests in the north east (present day Poland) and, like the Goths, they split into two groups; the ASDINGI and the SILINGI. RAPTUS and RHAUS (200 s) were their ancestors. Together with other Germanic tribes, the vandals were among the who managed to cross a frozen Rhine on New Year s Eve 406. It must have been a rare sight that met the inhabitants of the border town of Mainz that winter. Rightfully, they had the Huns coming after them, but it was the fertile land in the south and west they were after, the Vandals, Burgundians and Goths (with origin in Scandinavia), SUEBES (from Seuvia), Quadi (from Bohemia), Marcomanni (from Bavaria), Thuringii and others under the collective name ALEMANS (a confederation of all Germanic men) and Franks (free men) from mid-germany. As previously mentioned, the barbarians had over time gotten many relatives among mercenary soldiers. They were told about all the treasures, not to mention the wine and fruit that could be found in the empire they themselves were involved in protecting. The Barbarians too, wanted to be supported by the rich Romans. The strongest among them were the Franks. After battling them, the Vandals and their rescuing allies, the Alani, were «forced» to loot their way through present-day FRANCE. GODIGISEL, the chieftain of the vandals, led on until he fell. In 409 they crossed the Pyrenees and descended into the Roman province of HISPANIA

9 The Romans were playing with fire. The cultural differences were enormous and what they did not know, was that Attila was a sly fox with legions of other people from the east to back him up: SLAVS, AVARS, GEPIDS and BULGARS. All of whom were simply waiting for the opportunity to take possession of the riches to be found in the ancient Roman Empire. Attila, King of the Huns, was described by the contemporary writers Jordanes and Cassiodorus, as «a small, powerful and broad-shouldered Mongol with a flat nose, small eyes and a swarthy complexion. A participant in an Eastern Roman mission to the fearful monarch has left us with an interesting description of his court «, the writers continue. «Ambassadors from both far and near were invited to a feast at Attila s «palace», a large, timber-built hall. There sat his majesty in an elevated position centred near the rear wall, while guests were seated according to rank and position on both sides or immediately in front of him. ATTILA WITH GUESTS. Birney Lettick presented Jordanes report to the December issue of National Geographic

10 The Ostrogoths had become the new masters in Italy, and they mixed with, and lived side by side the Romans for several centuries. Theoderic, with the nickname «THE GREAT»,quickly became civilized and began the construction of Italy as a state. He reinstated Roman values such as the monetary system and started restoring the war-torn Rome, which he referred to with great veneration as «a great and unique wonder». Theoderic assumed a leading position throughout the Germanic world and formed bonds of kinship with the Frank, Visigoth and Burgundy dynasties. At his most powerful, he also controlled the Visigothic Kingdom. But when he died in 526, it became difficult to unite the Romans and Ostrogoths in one kingdom. Here history has repeated itself a number of times. It was the Frankish king CLOVIS who was to become the new powerful lord in western Europe. He was a SALIAN (coast living) Frank,and had fought and dislodged the RIPURIAN (river living) Franks (481), «the last Roman Gaul» Syagrius (486), the Allemannis (496) and last, but not least, the Visigoths at the battle of VOUILLE in Aquitaine in 507. Thuringia and Burgundy fell later, in 534. The Alemannis let themselves under Ostrogoth protection after being crushed by Clovis at TOLBIAC in 496. Clovis built Paris and was an ideal for the nation builder CHARLEMAGNE. But in the south, along the coast of Africa, time stood still. Apart from their piracy, the Vandals would increasingly resemble the ancient Romans at their worst. They ceaselessly enjoyed decadent «pleasures of the table». Some historians believe they can trace their roots back to Hallingdal in Norway. Teoderic The Great. Clovis I

11 «THE MEROVINGIAN LEGEND» Under cover of the many dramatic events on and around the Apennine peninsula (Italy), it was in the northwest that a hard-nosed tribe, through mutual conflict and long experience of war, built themselves up to become a European factor of power. As we know, the mightiest of their leaders, Clovis, had gathered together his Frankish men in 486 and rolled into northern Gaul. Ten years later, under the influence of his queen, he agreed to be christened. Yet, following Clovis death in 511, his young Frankish MEROVINGIAN dynasty also broke up. The kingdom was divided among his four grandsons (CHILPERIC, CHARIBERT, SIGIBERT and GUNTRAM) and, with time (567), became three Frankish kingdoms; NEUSTRIA in the north and west, AUSTRASIA in the east and BURGUNDY in the south. The fabled Brunhilda had appetite for both men and power

12 Unfortunately, the death of the ambitious Clovis resulted in more than a century of blood vengeance, terrible cunning and power struggles where it seemed no one was spared. The legendary story of the queens and rivals BRUNHILDA of Austrasia and FREDEGUNDA of Neustria, and their battle over positions,is so eventful it requires a book of its own. They were both women with a huge appetite for men and power. Briefly, the whole series of events started when the king of Neustria s mistress, Fredegunda, murdered the sister of Brunhilda, queen GALSWINTHA (of Neustria), in order to become a queen herself. Queen Brunhilda swore a revenge that should continue for fifty years and involve several generations of sovereign and nobilities.galswintha of Neustria (new kingdom) and the sister Brunhilda of Austrasia (east kingdom) were both married off, visigothic princesses and daughters of the visigothic coup initiator from 554, king ATHANAGILD. Brunhilda of Austrasia became one of the most powerful and controversial women in the Merovingian royal family. She controlled not only her own realm, but also Burgundy, as regent for her son, her two grandsons and even her grandson s son. In 613 Brunhilda was forced to surrender to her arch enemy King CHLOTAIRE II of Neustria. She had to answer to the murder of ten dukes, among them her husband, sons and grandsons, and underwent the most hideous torture and death. Tied between four horses, the evil old lady was finally torn to death. Fredegunda was also cruel. Here she tries to murder her daughter RIGUNDIS